Varga, Perish lead FCS players of the week

Sep 29, 2014 - 5:55 PM Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Recently in the Ivy League, the battle for the conference championship has typically come down to two teams: Harvard and Penn.

But last year's breakout performance by Quinn Epperly and Princeton helped buck the trend, and the Tigers went roaring to the top alongside Harvard.

For 2014, the outlook in the preseason appeared pretty much the same as 2013 ended up: Princeton on top, with Harvard and Penn not far behind. Maybe Dartmouth and Yale could compete or, at the very least, play the role of spoiler for one program.

But after last weekend's thrilling overtime victory by Yale over FBS opponent Army, perhaps it's already time to re-evaluate. Is Yale this year's Princeton?

It's a little early in the Ivy season to tell, but if Bulldogs running back Tyler Varga performs anywhere near the level he did against the Black Knights on Saturday, his unspoken message to the rest of the conference will be read as this: watch out.

Varga didn't just dominate in Yale's upset win over Army - the first victory for an Ivy League team over an FBS squad since 1986 - he decimated the Knights. The senior from Ontario carried the ball 28 times for 185 yards and a school- record five touchdowns, including the game-winning 3-yard score in overtime. The Bulldogs came away with the 49-43 victory to improve to 2-0 with a road trip to Cornell upcoming.

Varga's breakout game easily earned him an offensive player of the week nod. Varga, Indiana State's Mike Perish, Chattanooga's Davis Tull, Colgate's Victor Steffen, Northern Iowa's Michael Schmadeke and North Carolina A&T's Marquell Cartwright were all named FCS Players of the Week following Week 5 college football action.

CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Tyler Varga, Yale, RB, Sr., 5-11, 224, Kitchener, Ontario

The senior running back has always been a focal point in the Yale offense, but he displayed his best against Army in the Bulldogs' 49-43 overtime win. He carried the ball 28 times for 185 yards and a school-record five touchdowns, accouting for 30 of his team's 49 total points. He scored on runs of 13, 2, 15, 18 and 3 yards, with the final one being the decisive score after the Black Knights missed a 25-yard field goal attempt on their overtime drive.

Mike Perish, Indiana State, QB, Sr., 6-3, 225, Frankfort, Illinois

It was a very contentious week for offensive players at the FCS level - there were some standout performances by a number of players. Perish is one of them after completing a school-record 39 passes (39-of-51) for 340 yards and three touchdowns against then-No. 22-ranked Liberty. The Indiana State quarterback added a 1-yard touchdown run in his Missouri Valley Conference team's 38-19 victory over the Big South Conference program. Perish is now the first quarterback in Sycamores history to record three 300-yard passing performances in the same season. His squad entered The Sports Network FCS Top 25 on Monday.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Davis Tull, Chattanooga, DL, Sr., 6-3, 240, Knoxville, Tennessee

Tull, who was a Buck Buchanan Award finalist following the 2013 season, made sure his Mocs weren't defeated in a Southern Conference battle with Samford. Tull anchored the Chattanooga defensive line, tallying six tackles with four tackles for loss and two sacks in the team's 38-24 win over the Bulldogs. Tull also added a forced fumble and three quarterback hurries to his performance. With the two sacks over the weekend, Tull moved into a tie for ninth place on the SoCon's all-time career sacks list with 29.5.

CO-SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Victor Steffen, Colgate, DL, Jr., 6-3, 255, Hawley, Pennsylvania

Special teams truly made the difference in Colgate's 19-0 win over Patriot League rival Georgetown on Saturday. Steffen was a special teams beast, blocking two punts for the Raiders that both went for scores. His first blocked punt sailed out of the end zone for a safety to give Colgate the 2-0 lead, and his second was recovered by Pat Afriyie and returned for a 10-yard touchdown in the second quarter. On defense, Steffen recorded four tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack, but the two blocked punts for scores were the sticking point for Steffen this week.

Michael Schmadeke, Northern Iowa, PK, Jr., 5-10, 181, Waterloo, Iowa

Northern Iowa absolutely dominated its matchup against Tennessee Tech, 50-7. Schmadeke collected 20 of the points, a school record by a kicker. Schmadeke. The junior banged five field goals through the uprights (which tied a school record) with a long of 38 yards, and added five extra points. The 20 points broke the Missouri Valley Conference school's previous kicker record of 18, which was set in 1991 and matched twice in 2002.

FRESHMAN PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Marquell Cartwright, North Carolina A&T, RB, Fr., 5-9, 190, High Point, North Carolina

North Carolina A&T's strong start to the 2014 campaign continued this past weekend with a win over Howard in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play. Cartwright was at the center of his team's success offensively in the 38-22 win after carrying the ball a team-high 33 times for 135 yards and two touchdowns, adding three receptions for 21 yards to his already standout performance. North Carolina A&T is now 4-1 on the season after winning its conference opener. Cartwright is in a three-way tie for the team lead with 60 carries this season.